Homokinetic tripod joints typically include a female element with pairs of tracks, a male element having three arms, and a roller assembly on each arm and adapted to engage a pair of tracks in the female element. Roller assemblies can vary. One roller assembly configuration includes an inner ring, an outer roller surrounding the inner ring, and a ring of needle bearings between the inner ring and outer roller. Mechanisms vary for retaining the needle bearing ring and the roller assembly with respect to the arms of the male element.
One example of a homokinetic tripod joint is disclosed in Verbrugge, U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,231. This assembly comprises two washers or “circlips” which axially retain the needle bearing ring and the outer roller on the inner rings. Each washer is received in a groove which is arranged in the outer roller and is pressed on an end surface of the inner ring. The outer roller projects axially beyond the inner ring, at each side, in order to be able to receive the washers. This projection results in a relatively large spatial requirement for a given nominal load of the assembly. Consequently, the socket also takes up a relatively large amount of space.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved homokinetic joint having reduced size or bulk for a given nominal load capacity, while maintaining structural integrity and service life.